The Certification Officer for Northern Ireland
69.—(1) The Department shall, after consultation with the Agency, appoint an officer to be known as the Certification Officer for Northern Ireland (in this Order referred to as “the Certification Officer”).
(2) The Certification Officer shall not be regarded as a servant or agent of the Crown or as enjoying any status, immunity or privilege of the Crown.
(3) The Agency shall—
(a)provide for the Certification Officer the requisite staff (from among the Agency’s officers and servants) and the requisite accommodation, equipment and other facilities; and
(b)pay to the Certification Officer such remuneration and travelling and other allowances as may be determined by the Department with the approval of the Department of Finance and Personnel.
(4) The Department may pay, or make provision for paying, to, or in respect of, the Certification Officer such pension, allowance or gratuity on his death or retirement as the Department may, with the approval of the Department of Finance and Personnel, determine.
(5) The Agency shall pay to the Certification Officer such sums as he may require for the making of payments in pursuance of any scheme made by the Department under Article 70(2).
(6) Where a person ceases to be the Certification Officer otherwise than on the expiry of his term of office, and it appears to the Department that there are special circumstances which make it right for him to receive compensation, the Department may make him a payment of such amount as the Department may, with the approval of the Department of Finance and Personnel, determine.
(7) The Certification Officer shall, as soon as reasonably practicable after the end of each financial year, make a report of his activities during that year to the Agency and the Department and the Department shall lay before the Assembly a copy of every report received by it under this paragraph.
(8) The functions of the Certification Officer may, if for any reason he is unable to act or during any vacancy in his office, be discharged by a person nominated for that purpose by the Department.
(9) The Certification Officer shall take custody of all annual returns, accounts, copies of rules and other documents submitted, for the purposes of the Trade Union Acts (Northern Ireland) 1871 to 1965, to the officer appointed to perform in Northern Ireland the functions of registrar of friendly societies and which are, immediately before the appointed day, in the custody of that officer.
(10) The Certification Officer shall keep available for public inspection (either free of charge or on payment of a reasonable charge) at all reasonable hours such of the documents referred to in paragraph (9) as are, or were, available for public inspection in pursuance of any of the Acts referred to in that paragraph.
(11) In the Northern Ireland Assembly Disqualification Act 1975(1) in Part III of Schedule 1 (other disqualifying offices), there shall be inserted (at the appropriate place) the following entry—
“Certification Officer for Northern Ireland.”.